Kaya McLean

Kaya McLean (KYE-ah mi-KLANE), SAG-AFTRA, is a young actor, a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, based in Los Angeles. Often playing the quirky, warm-hearted tween, or spunky, hard-knocks kid, Kaya is known for her grounded, character-driven work on screen and for delivering a wide range of animated character and real life voices in the recording studio.

After seeing Wicked on Broadway when she was 8 years old, Kaya felt bitten by the bug to act. She started taking classes, receiving coaching and acting in community theatre. Kaya was nominated Best Supporting Actress in the 2020 Marcum Masque Awards at L.A.'s Kentwood Theatre for her portrayal of Lily in The Giver adapted from the Newberry Award-winning novel by Lois Lowry. It was during this production's 6-week run that an agent from CESD saw Kaya perform and pursued her for representation. In a very short time, Kaya was training with top coaches, earning ever larger credits and winning awards for roles in voiceover and live action film and television.

Some credits include: two seasons voicing the maniacal, Panda-obsessed fox, Madeline, daughter of Madame Malin (Janeane Garafalo) in Cartoon Network's We Baby Bears; lead role in We Met At Camp, nominated Best Comedy in the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences College Television Awards; lead role in Bellyful, winning awards for Best Child Actress and Best Children's Short at Indie Shorts Fest; narrating the Audie-nominated "Wonder" audiobook; numerous roles in animated films; and voicing English dubbed versions of characters in foreign films and television series, including the role of Fernanda in Alice Rohrwacher's 2022 Oscar-nominated Le Pupille.

Kaya is on a hiatus from professional acting in order to focus on her high school studies attending a New England boarding school.